The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its advancedcommunication satellite GSAT-6 from Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh today, Thursday, August 27. The launch of Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-D6 (GSLV-D6) carrying India's latest communication satellite GSAT-6 is scheduled at 4:52 pm today from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at the spaceport of Sriharikota.

The Mission Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) had on Wednesday cleared the starting of the 29-hour countdown at 11:52 pm.

The 29-hour countdown for the launch of India`s heavy rocket geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle-D6 (GSLV-D6) carrying communication satellite GSAT-6 with strategic use began at 11.52 a.m. on Wednesday

Earlier, ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar had said that the satellite would be for strategic application.

GSAT-6 is the twenty fifth geostationary communication satellite of India built by ISRO and twelfth in the GSAT series. According to ISRO, GSAT-6 provides communication through five spot beams in S-band and a national beam in C-band for strategic users.

One of the advanced features of GSAT-6 satellite is its S-Band Unfurlable Antenna of 6m diameter. This is the largest satellite antenna realised by ISRO.

This antenna is utilised for five spot beams over the Indian main land. The spot beams exploit the frequency reuse scheme to increase frequency spectrum utilisation efficiency. The other advanced feature of the satellite is the 70 V bus, which is flying first time in an Indian communication satellite.

After its injection into GTO by GSLV-D6, ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan takes control of GSAT-6 and performs the initial orbit raising manoeuvres by repeatedly firing the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) on-board the satellite, finally placing it in the circular Geostationary Orbit.

After this, deployment of the antenna and three axis stabilisation of the satellite will be performed. GSAT-6 will be positioned at 83 deg East longitude, added ISRO.